|
Rex
Systems awarded $5 million contract
Michael Klein
Rex
Systems of Lake Hallie has won a $5 million contract from the U.S.
Army to develop an Urban First Responder Communicator system.
Over 18 months, Rex will create a technically advanced communications system that uses radio, wireless computer networks and global positioning satellites. Research and development is a new direction for the 30-year-old company, which in the past chiefly manufactured electronic gear for the military, said Jon Myre, president of Rex. “This opens up the possibility of breaking into the commercial area,” Myre said. Municipal departments may want the equipment for responding to emergencies, he said. Rex has hired five engineers to work on the project, bringing its employment to 35. The system will have a base station and then a series of wearable computers that use the three components to communicate, he said. Rex is to come up with a working prototype. The need for the system was made clear during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, when the firefighters responding had numerous communications breakdowns, Myre said. U.S. Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wis., helped ensure the money was included in the defense appropriations bill. “During the attacks of Sept. 11 and later in the caves of Afghanistan we learned the hard way that communications equipment is not always reliable,” Obey said. “There is a clear need to develop a communications system that provides robust communications links into areas where traditional radios don’t work.” Rex performs about 120 defense contracts a year, providing equipment used in avionics, radar, fire control, radio and electronic warfare systems. “We’re pretty excited about the direction we’re taking,” Myre said. |